The small, high-powered magnets known as “buckyballs” have a silly name and a dead-serious problem.
Buckyballs are marketed to adults as sculptures, puzzles and stress relievers, but, between 2009 and 2011, approximately 1,190 children were treated in emergency rooms after swallowing the toy-like magnets. When more than one buckyball is ingested, the magnets can attract each other inside the body, leading to intestinal obstruction, sepsis and even death.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received numerous reports of such incidents in recent years. Last year, the agency, along with the magnets’ manufacturers, urged parents to keep buckyballs away from kids, check their children’s play areas for the magnets and be alert for symptoms like abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and seek medical attention immediately if these symptoms appear.
More recently, the CPSC announced that it will create new regulations for buckyballs to address this ongoing issue.
Have you are a loved one been harmed by a dangerous product? Contact the personal injury attorneys at Hodes Milman toll free at (949) 640-8222, or submit the contact form on our website, verdictvictory.com. We’ve achieved million-dollar verdicts in product liability actions on behalf of our clients.
